MiTac Netbook To Feature Linux Flavored gOS

MiTAC, better known for its GPS brand Mio, is dipping its toes into the fast growing netbook market.

The company is set to release its first netbook later this year that will feature gOS 3 Gadgets, a Linux-based operating system tailored to netbooks from California startup Good OS.

The new netbook will sport an 8.9-inch screen, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor and will have options for either a solid state drive or a hard disk, along with Bluetooth capability and an on-board GPS system.

It will also be among the first netbook installations for gOS. "We want to be the best alternative to Windows and the most easiest version of Linux to use," says David Liu, founder and CEO of Good OS who is set to make the announcement at the Intel Developer Forum in Taipei, Taiwan Tuesday.

gOS is different from other Linux flavors because of its slicker user interface, and better customer support, including greater integration with Google and Web 2.0 applications, says Liu. The operating system is based on the Ubuntu 7.10 distribution and has a user interface reminiscent of Mac OS X Leopard.

gOS debuted earlier this year with the $200 Wal-Mart Everex gPC desktop computer. Everex gPC came with a 1.5GHz Via C7-D processor, 512MB of memory, 80GB hard drive, a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, and built-in Ethernet along with popular applications from Google, Mozilla, Skype and OpenOffice.org.

Now with the popularity of netbooks, low cost portable computers are becoming the rage and gOS hopes to jump in there. Though some netbooks runs Windows operating system, many more skew towards Linux and run some flavor of the open source OS.

gOS plans to work with Taiwanese netbook OEMs and go beyond the big brand names to get a foothold in the market, says Liu.

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